AirBNB Process and results in Chicago

[Alberto Camarena]

Hello,

I am considering doing an AirBNB on my primary home and wanted to see if anyone has successfully registered and completed the city of Chicago process for Airbnb. I ussually do long-term rentals and thinking of also exploring short-term rentals. I know that Chicago is not very landlord friendly, and I can assume this applies to STR. I wanted to see if anyone that has done this would share their thoughts.. I can see the costs to register, but I cannot find how long it takes, what is the inspections, does the house need to be fully furnished to start the paperwork with the city (working on remodeling), or any feedback. Property is located in the far north side of Chicago, Zip 60645...

Link to Chicago's site https://www.chicago.gov/city/e...

Thank you,

Alberto

#Chicago

#STR

#Airbnb

[Jonathan Klemm]

Hey @Alberto Camarena - I've gone through both the owner-occupied process and the process to get your operator's license.  I've had an Airbnb in Chicago since 2018 and the rules have continued to change significantly over time.  Unless you planning to turn your operation more into a business my recommendation would be to consider mid-term rental (depending on what area of Chicago you are in) or keep it as a long-term.

As I understand it now, technically the only unit that you can AirBnB is your own, none of the other units if you are in a 2-4 unit building.  If you are operating anything else you need to get your operator's license.  To answer some of your other questions:

- You don't need your place completely furnished before you apply

- There is no actual inspection by the city

Overall, my opinion with the way Chicago has changed its laws and the amount of work that actually goes into running an STR, it's not worth the hassle.